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Six years after the peak of the 2015 migrant crisis, which upended European politics, the European Union is faced with the prospect of another wave of refugees and asylum-seekers, as the continent braces itself for the fallout from the rapid departure of the U.S. and its NATO allies from Afghanistan.
EU interior ministers held an emergency video meeting yesterday aimed at developing a coordinated approach to the evacuation of Afghans who worked with NATO in the short term, while developing longer-term plans for the reception and resettlement of Afghan refugees. “The instability in Afghanistan is likely to lead to increased migratory pressure. We are therefore preparing for all scenarios,” EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said after the meeting. “The situation in Afghanistan is clearly not safe and it will not be safe for some time. Therefore we cannot force people to return to Afghanistan.”